January is that wonderful time when you have a completely fresh start. Along with it comes positive new years resolutions and goals. I love goals, it gives me a thrill to know what I’m working towards. This year it’s all about health and wellness for me, but then again that is always on the resolution list (is anyone with me?). I wish I could be good at sticking through with it, but I’m not.

A huge reason for this is the price of gym memberships and healthy food. We live on a tight monthly budget plan, and as much as we want to put our health as a top priority, after bills, we’ve had no chance of really making this happen, and this year is no different.

As we have our elopement coming up at the end of the year, (and it’s looking more and more like we’ll be heading to the sunny beaches of Cuba) it’s a new motivation for us to get in shape.This is why I’ve created an at-home gym routine.

In the process of creating this routine, I discovered how much time and money we could save by utilizing modern technology and the extremely generous shareability of YouTube. In the time it takes us to drive to the gym and back, it’s a decent 30 minute workout.

With this being said, I still want to join the gym. It has so many more options, equipment and I know that for some people, it’s far more motivating. However, my goal here today is to share how you can say goodbye to excuses and start getting fit and healthy at home when you don’t have the time or money.

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Barre Ballet

I recently discovered the Lazy Dancer Tips channel on YouTube (the name in itself is amazing). While the focus of this channel is for dancers or people interested in learning about dance, I have found it to be an incredible and enjoyable way to tone and strengthen myself. I am no dancer, but through this method, I am able to work on my posture, strengthen my core and tone my body. The added bonus is if you’re interested in dance or you come from that background, this will be right in your wheelhouse! What I love about doing Barre, is that you’re getting the benefits of yoga, Pilates, and dance all bundled together. It looks deceivingly simple, but this is just in appearance. Your muscles will be burning. You can also include weights in this exercise to make it even more of a workout.

I am mostly interested in finding great content in my YouTube tutorials, but with Lazy Dancer Tips, you get an incredibly enjoyable delivery from her as well.

Zumba

Zumba is a fantastic cardio workout that you can easily do in your home. In fact, it’s the only place I’d ever do Zumba… mirrors don’t lie! All jokes aside, it’s honestly incredible for getting your heart pumping as well as being really fun. I’m pretty sure I’ve chosen dance methods to trick my brain from realizing I’m doing exercise, but whatever, it’s working.

Some of the benefits of Zumba are:

it’s a total body workout

it incorporates high-intensity aerobics

boosts your brain power through memorization

promotes flexibility

strengthens your heart

improves balance

… need I say more?

There are many ways you can do your Zumba workout at home. My favourite is the Wii U Zumba Fitness World Party Game* (If you do buy this game, make sure it comes with the belt, otherwise you won’t be able to use it properly). The game has a large variety of workouts, instructors and you can burn up to 1,000 calories per hour. I usually burn around 500 – 650 calories per 40min. There is also a section that breaks down the different steps if you’re struggling too much. What I especially love about this, is that it feels like a video game! It plays on my competitive side and in the end, motivates me to push myself each lesson.

* I linked to the products I use, but please note that the Zumba Fitness World Party Game link I added does notinclude the belt. You will have to buy it separately (see link in above text).

Yoga

This is a widely practiced at-home exercise. While yoga isn’t a very energetic approach to working out, I find it does a wonderful job of toning, strengthening and also forcing yourself to take a minute and practice some mindfulness and connect with your breathing. Some of the [many] benefits of practicing yoga are:

improves posture

promotes flexibility

strengthens spine (our back-issues were the reason we first started yoga)

regulates adrenal glands

improves breathing

These are just some of the reasons I have included yoga as a workout routine. It’s also perfect for adjusting to suit how you’re feeling. I like doing a slower routine on days I’m stiff and sore, it helps to stretch out my muscles and relaxes me.

Even if you’re a total beginner and have never done yoga before, you can include this in your workout routine. Go to Yoga with Adriene on YouTube and subscribe to her channel. I’ve mentioned her before, but seriously she is AMAZING! You can find a class no matter what level you’re at, and if you are a beginner, she has a fantastic beginner’s series too.

I use those three different workout methods for my routine. Right now I switch it up with no real schedule besides that I have to pick one. I actually like doing it this way because then I can arrange so that it suits my mood, how much time I have that day and also how sore my body is.

I haven’t mentioned running, jogging or walking because we’re in the dead of winter right now and our weather ranges from -20 to -40 degrees celsius… there’s no way I’m going out to exercise in those temperatures 😉

Do you have some favourite at-home workouts? Please share with me in the comments below.